Gateway Films & Ratio Film Present ONCE UPON A TIME IN LONDON STARRING LEO GREGORY TERRY STONE JAMIE FOREMAN GEOFF BELL ROLAND MANOOKIAN HOLLY EARL NADIA FORDE KATE BRAITHWATE JOSH MYERS ANDY BECKWITH ALI COOK JUSTIN SALINGER 1 For the first time ever, the violent reign of two of London’s most notorious gangsters, Jack ‘Spot’ Comer (Terry Stone) and Billy Hill (Leo Gregory), is grippingly brought to the big screen in a sweeping saga of myth, madness, mayhem, manipulation and dishonour among thieves. ONCE UPON A TIME IN LONDON charts the epic rise and legendary fall of a nationwide criminal empire that lasted for three action-packed decades from the late1930s. The one-time friends and partners in crime turned bitter enemies oversaw a fledgling East End and Soho underworld Billy Hill (Leo Gregory) & Jack Comer (Terry Stone) responsible for brutal protection rackets, vicious lawbreaking, shocking corruption and glamorous associations, which paved the way for the notorious Kray twins to exert their dominance over the capital’s gangland realm. ‘Peaky Blinders’ meets Legend in ONCE UPON A TIME IN LONDON , the no-holds- barred true story detailing the provocative and compelling battle to become the King of London’s Underworld, a larger-than-life history that has remained one of Great Britain’s most dynamic, thrilling and untold tales. Now visionary director Simon Rumley ( Red, White & Blue, Crowhurst, Fashionista ) makes the truly fantastic chronicle about the founders of British organized crime an in-depth exploration of the mobster myth and psyche, a unique viewing experience and must-see for all True Crime fans. Gateway Films & Ratio Film presents ONCE UPON A TIME IN LONDON , starring Leo Gregory (Stoned, Green Street ), Terry Stone (Rise of the Footsoldier, Bonded By Blood, Fanged Up ), Jamie Foreman ( Layer Cake Gangster No.1: The Beginning ), Geoff Bell ( Kingsman: The Secret Service , Rogue One ), Holly Earl (‘Cuckoo’, Queen of the Desert ), Nadia Forde (‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!’), Kate Braithwaite (Little Deaths, Self Made ), Roland Manookian ( RocknRolla, The Football Factory ), Josh Myers ( The Fall of the Krays, Anti-Social ), Andy Beckwith (‘Game of Thrones’, the Pirates of the Caribbean series), Ali Cook (‘Emmerdale’, The Anomaly ), Doug Allan (‘The Royals’, The Guvnor ) and Justin Salinger ( Crowhurst , ‘Humans’). Joining an eclectic ensemble drawn from all strata of the entertainment and sports worlds are comedian Simon Munnery, boxers Joe Egan, Steve Collins and Frank Buglioni, footballer Jamie O’Hara and Union J’s JJ Hamblett. Shot entirely on location in and around London, the period gangster drama is directed by Simon Rumley (The Living and the Dead , Johnny Frank Garrett’s Last Word, Crowhurst, Fashionista ) and co-written by Will Gilbey (Rise of the Footsoldier, A Lonely Place to Die ), Simon Rumley and Terry Stone. Producers are Terry Stone (Rise of the Footsoldier III: The Beginning, Plastic, Away ) and Richard Turner (Nativity!, The Messenger ). Executive producers are Jezz Vernon & Chris Howard. Co-producer is Tiernan Hanby (Beautiful Devils ). Heads of departments include Director of Photography Milton Kam (Crowhurst, Fashionista, ‘American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story’), Costume Designer Michelle May (Dealer, Touchpaper ), Makeup 2 Designer Emma Slater (Rise of the Footsoldier III: The Beginning ) and Production Designer Anna Mould (Level Up, Aux ). LONG SYNOPSIS Not For Publication London’s East End, Sunday October 4 th 1936. In the Battle of Cable Street, a clash between the Metropolitan Police, shielding the British Union of Fascists march led by Oswald Mosley, and various anti-fascist demonstrators including local Jewish groups, one man is prominently vocal in his hatred of the Blackshirts. That’s petty criminal Jack ‘Spot’ Comer (TERRY STONE) who runs a protection racket safeguarding the Jewish shopkeepers of Brick Lane and knows his clientele will closely be watching his protest reaction. For causing so much trouble during the demonstration Jack is sentenced to six months in Wandsworth Prison. In another cell is career offender Billy Hill (LEO GREGORY) awaiting sentencing for his role in a daring Hatton Garden jewel robbery. When Odd Legs (ALI COOK), one of his faithful henchmen, threatens a witness to the heist and tells her not to identify Billy as the mastermind, he escapes jail – and immediately robs the same establishment again. To ensure he will have no territorial problems with Mr. Sabini (ADAM SAINT), head of the crime gang dominating the London underworld, in partnership with Mr. White (JAMIE FOREMAN) and his son Harry (JUSTIN SALINGER) on racecourse protection rackets, Billy greases his palm with a percentage of his ill-gotten gains. After taking girlfriend Aggie Pickett (HOLLY EARL) to the cinema, he heads to The Sleepers’ Inn public house where he teaches the police informer who put him in custody a lesson – by razoring V signs on his cheeks to show gangland crime lords he’s a snitch. Jack is released from prison and heads to The Nag’s Head pub where his closest friends Moisha (JOSH MYERS) and Sonny the Yank (ANDY BECKWITH) give him a hero’s welcome back. Jack is approached by Darky Mulley (GEOFF BELL), owner of illegal Soho gambling clubs and racecourse rackets, who hires him to handle the lowlifes trying to muscle in. One of Jack’s first tasks is to deal with anti-Semite thugs in Botolphs bar, the knuckle-duster fight being witnessed in awe by Billy and henchmen Odd Legs and Bear’s Breath (JOE EGAN), there to plan to rob a furrier. (l-r) Andy Beckwith, Terry Stone & Josh Myers At the Alexandra Park Race Track, Jack intimidating the bookies on Darky Mulley’s behalf attracts the unwanted attention of Mr. White who threatens him to back off with 3 a revolver. Knowing he will never shoot him – murder carrying the British death penalty by hanging – Jack escapes instead with a ferocious beating. Delighted knowing this mauling is a sure sign he’s keeping the Sabinis and Whites on their worried toes, Jack pulls off a daring raid on the London County and Westminster Bank. Billy Hill (centre) and his gang Meanwhile, Billy proposes marriage to a thrilled Aggie and then carries out another raid on a jeweler’s shop. Caught in the act, he’s sentenced to two years in prison watched by his completely devastated fiancée. An assassination attempt on Jack’s life in Botolphs puts him on further notice that the Sabinis and Whites see him as a major menace to their livelihoods. But then the Second World War on Germany is declared and Jack is conscripted into the Army. As all Italians are rounded up and arrested as a result, the Sabini reign comes to an end, and because Billy only has one year left to serve on his sentence, by blanket royal decree he’s let out of prison early to finally marry Aggie. After seriously injuring his drill instructor Jack is pronounced ‘mentally unstable’ and, discharged from active service, takes back Botolphs from Mr. White’s enforced management. Billy in the interim has wasted no time in making the war pay and his gang, masquerading as air raid wardens during the blackouts, continually ransacks shops and local businesses. An altercation with Mr. White’s nephew Bobby Warren (JJ HAMBLETT) at Botolphs not only puts Jack on collision course with the old criminal guard, but also marks the first time he meets Billy, determinedly moving in from the outer felony circle. But Mr. White’s sudden death from a heart attack means Jack’s main nemesis is now his incompetent son Harry who vows to destroy him after gate crashing the funeral wake. Rearrested again Billy is sent to Wandsworth prison where as the inmate barber he meets ‘Mad’ Frankie Fraser (ROLAND MANOOKIAN), bonding with him when he realizes they share the same birth date and a similar violent modus operandi. 4 Understanding he will only become the new King of London’s underworld by carrying out one of the biggest, audacious and most talked about heists ever, Jack steals ration coupons from the Romford Food Office worth hundreds of thousands of pounds on the black market. It’s the biggest raid up to that time in British history. The war is over at last. At the Botolphs celebration party Jack meets exotic dancer Tiger Lilly (SHEREEN GUERLIN BALL) who moves in with him. The races back on at Alexandra Park, Jack and Harry White’s heavies face off with the latter being the furious loser. Because he wants to be part of all the exciting illicit action, Billy has written a letter to Jack from prison asking to join his network. When Jack meets him at the prison gates on release and offers him a job based on his vicious reputation, Billy knows his swaggering star is finally on the rise. To celebrate Billy has sex with prostitute Gypsy (KATE BRAITHWAITE), a serious relationship grows and he soon realises his love for Aggie is over. Roland Manookian as Frankie Fraser At the races Jack introduces Billy to loan shark and bookie enforcer Albert Dimes (DOUG ALLAN). Neither men know it, but they will later be playing a key role in each other’s future. At Jack’s new West End gambling venue, The Modernaires club, Billy is attacked by Harry’s mob and told he wants his arch enemy out of Soho. Billy asks Frankie Fraser to torture bodyguard Big Bill (STEVE COLLINS) by turning him into a human dartboard to find out where his boss Harry hangs out. Later at The Nut House pub Billy slashes Harry’s face to pieces. However Jack’s enterprises are starting to lose cash, his expenses are mounting and he’s paying more hush money to the police to turn a blind eye to his increasingly celebrated exploits.